80/20 Items

Re-reading the 4 Hour Workweek, there is a section about elimination, both of the excess junk as well as the excess activities in my life.  I focussed on the junk part recently and it was amazing how much crap I do have, even in one half of an apartment.

I would consider myself a neat person, but I realise that the neatness meant the stuff was well stored.  It was still a lot of stuff that in reality meant little to me.  I have gone through toiletries, my cupboard, the outside cupboard, my documents and produced a good three garbage bags of stuff.

Some troubling items:
1. Documents meant for the business.  I am not sure what needs to be kept for this.  The better approach would be to scan everything but I am too lazy.  So I couldn't move much out of this.

2. The books that I have.  So many good ones, and ones that I continue to re-read.  Not sure what to do here.  Perhaps I get them onto Kindle.  Or maybe a better thing is to stop re-reading for re-reading's sake and read new things!

I still have a way to go, especially on the IT front.  Lots of spare cables lying around the house.  A Playstation, Xbox and old games which I never use.  A DSLR camera I hope to get some money for.  If I can sell some of these items, it will help fund a part of the Korea trip.

I am sure I can be even harsher on the requirements.  Question to ask: "does this item make me happy?"  If not, I should get rid of it!

I should do this "cleansing" more often.  It's too easy to keep unnecessary stuff.  I think if I moved out, I would keep going for a relatively small place, to make it harder to hoard.  Having kids may lead to different requirements!  Although I read that a kid has on average 200 toys but really only plays with 10?

Lynn told me that a theme of hers is "live simply".  A good theme to follow.

Ready for Korea

Korea is becoming more definite, say Aug to end Nov.  I can feel it, even with additional opportunities, I am not that keen to explore.  What I do need to work out is some structure to how to manage the business when I am overseas.  I will need to introduce some more documentation on troubleshooting for things.  This is what I provide to people at the moment, and it's easy for them to call me and I will sort it out.  Especially the IT support component.  I will write up all the information, and then have a standby IT support person as required.

I am not sure how the people in my team feel about it.  It was funny, they were joking yesterday about when to visit that I should have a spare room for them to stay in.  So to a certain extent they have come to a realisation that it will happen and are adjusting.  Key would be making sure that Mary is sorted out, and that she is emotionally to take more ownership of the corporate team.  I think she is mature enough, and Jo definitely trusts her, so I think it will be ok.  I am very lucky to have a person like her around, who is committed to this company.

I will also keep away from the outlets a bit this month, to see how it is without me there and if it can still function.  To be honest, the outlets do function already, it is just a matter of how good or how bad.

With Jo, I am not sure how he feels about it.  I think he accepts it, but I am sure he is not super happy about it.  We still have not discussed the pay situation when I am away, although it is realistically only 3 months.  It will mean that I will be unable to help with any new outlet that we get this year.  But looking at our finances we are not in that good a position to expand another outlet, unless we get heavy external funding.

I believe this adventure is worth it.  Worth it just because I want to do it, and that's all the reason that is required.

The other part of this is to be realistic/clear on what I will end up with at the end of 4 months.  I think I will still be a very basic speaker.  But if I am able to get around Korea by myself I will be super super happy!  In that case then the key is to get useful information as quickly as possible so I have the confidence to keep talking.

Two paraphase some guy on a forum I was reading:

Do academic study for a year, then after attaining upper-intermediate proficiency, mainstream yourself. Sign up for hagwon classes in cooking, art, technology etc. alongside Koreans. Join clubs. Sign up for Korean online games. Rent an apartment with Koreans. Get a job that isn't teaching English, like at a restaurant or a 7-Eleven. Scheduling yourself with tons of immersion activities is probably more useful after the initial year of study than another year of dry study.

Practising Negotiation #2

A surprising shift in the negotiation process for OC.

What they had previously said as "cannot ever happened", they are willing to accommodate now, with only a minor change.  I must now remember this:  "never accept a 'no' from a person that cannot say 'yes'".  Only then will I be able to negotiate successfully.

Perhaps the other takeaway is to only get involved in negotiations where I really want to drive an good outcome, but if it doesn't happen then it is ok.  If I don't care enough for a deal, I give away too much.    But if I care too much about a deal, then again I give away too much to make it happen.

Two ways to do this:
1. Negotiate as though it is on behalf of someone else, but with some stake in the outcome.
2. Always be looking for an alternative.  Funny enough, the alternative to this deal is not another location but the ability to go to Korea!

It was good to re-read the "Bargaining for Advantage" book.  It is key to keeping high goals in any negotiation.

Japan and Plan C

It has (again) been a while since I've updated. Apologies to family members that have been waiting breathlessly for the latest news!
First off, Japan. Bringing skis is good in theory, but slightly annoying when having to carry three other bags. I was unlucky with the snow in Niseko, somehow getting the only 4 days of sunshine for Feb. Tokyo was a blast, eating, drinking, partying. I totally recommend going to Shibuya 109, the all female department store just to check out the cutey chicks! My new favourite look, the short shorts, off shoulder top and heels. Hot!
Hoping to get to Korea at the start of April, there's so much hype for that place!

On a completely different topic, I think I understand what being a "Plan C" for someone feels like. They enjoy your company, have fun conversations over chat, willing to say yes to dates, but they NEVER initiate. You never feel like it is quite right. In essence, you are not their "Plan A", and if they are your "Plan A", then it kind of sucks.
The question then becomes, can one move from being a "Plan C" to "Plan A"? From my experience, I think the answer is no. The only real method is to make them a "Plan C", through mental and emotional discipline, and pace oneself. Don't "give all your cookies away", as a friend once told me. (As an aside, telling them that you like them may not be that bad. At least everyone is clear on where they stand).
Such is life. To all the people that suffer this syndrome, you have my sympathies!

Shanghai

It's been 7 years since I went to Shanghai. The place has undergone a dramatic change, from all accounts. What made it good before still applies...the food (sheng jian bao, yum!), the view from the Bund, the French Concession. I remember vigorously partying the first time I was here. On that front, it seems like nothing has changed! Can't believe they opened up a Prive there. Fun to meet new friends, more places to visit around Asia.

Di and I went to an "art battle" event, where random artists are making artworks in front of you and you vote for the one your liked best. It's this kind of stuff that I don't think is available in Singapore, although perhaps I'm not looking hard enough.

Finally made it to the expo, on the second last week it was showing. I'm so glad I had connections to get into the Australia pavilion (our company built it) and the Taiwan pavilion (friend was VIP). Not sure if I would have lined up 4 hours to see these things, although if I had lined up for 4 hours for anything I'm sure I would have raved on about it just to validate that it wasn't a complete waste of time!

Spent time at the office as well. It always seems that hospitality is wonderful in these regional offices. I'm sure they get sick of random staff members coming in to visit, but they are so gracious about it. It's good to get some face time with these guys though, makes work easier when communicating or convincing them of a certain process.

Speaking of hospitality, thanks Di for taking me around! Hope you get your visa sorted out so you can visit me in Singapore!

San Fran / Yosemite / Vegas / Grand Canyon

Top ten things about San Fran / Yosemite / Vegas / Grand Canyon:
1. I got some new hiking shoes. Now whenever people invite me to hikes or places with ankle deep water trails, I'm all over it. Oh and a headlamp, those things rock.
2. I saw a bear! It ddin't look massive, so assuming young bear. Glad that the momma bear wasn't around to chase us.
3. It's infinitely more rewarding to have hiked a trail in order to get to some nice lookouts. Probably due to the fact that I slaved 6 hours with a massive backpack on to get there.
4. Camping overnight, seeing stars, cooking around a campfire. Not sure if I would do it again, but glad that I did it this time.
5. Winning at the craps table. I was up from the start and never looked back. Lesson for next time: when the hot roll finishes, immediately leave.
6. Setting up shots inspired by Sydney Dance Company pictures. Way less classy, but way more hilarious. With double SLRs, tons of happy snaps (check the pictures here)
7. Partying in Vegas is 100% dependent on the crew that you go with. This time, everyone was committed, which made for two great nights (see pictures here)
8. My first spa facial! I now know what extractions mean. I never knew that there existed a thing to cleanse your face using ultrasonic sound waves...
9. Cruising the highways from Vegas to Grand Canyon in a convertible Mustang. Even other tourists took photos of us!
10. Catching up with Waz. Good friends will always be good friends.

Bonus: Hearing that I might be going to Vegas again in June :)

Vail 2010

What I like about Vail is the vastness of the place, especially when it's a weekday and there's a lot less crowds. This was the one and only "west" ski trip this year (with new skis!) so had to make the most of it.

Weather was beautiful, but unfortunately Fay got himself injured on the first day. Jumps never work out well...


So I ended up skiing mostly by myself. I did take a "mountain tour" where some advanced ski instructor took me and another person around the mountain. In essence it was a quasi-ski lesson, at around 1/5th of the cost! I thought I was decent, but there are some people that are just awesome at this sport.

Of course, by the last day, I had to attempt some jumps. For some reason there is always the urge, but the fear factor is so high. I think the thing is that as a kid I never got to do this and so my body has never actually gotten comfortable with the whole concept of "air-with-skis-on".

After some initial success....




...came some failures.



I blame the poor camerawork by Fay! What could have be gloriously Warren Miller-style films turned out to be only just youtube worthy.

I'll miss Vail, I hope to come again sometime.


Might have to go to Japan again...

Taiwanese Dramas

As part of my ongoing Mandarin learning, I thought I would try to watch some Taiwanese drama. Get immersed in it, hear it spoken around me. I could never understand, though, why my ex would follow it like some form of addiction. Having experienced Asian drama on the periphery, I should have known.

The one I got recommended was "Fated To Love You". (Fact: This series broke all TV watching records, garnering 10% of the Taiwanese population for one of its episodes). I was hooked. I watched multiple episodes in one sitting. I had originally planned to watch each episode twice to catch the words, but that went out the window after Episode 2.

Things that I have learned from watching Taiwanese dramas:
1. What RC said in the comments from that Korean movie post: "Persistence...is a necessary part of the dating process, to push yourself past what would normally be 'comfortable' by Western dating standards." This definitely holds true.

2. There is excessive "drama for the sake of drama" in this series. Some of the scenes, though, were indeed quite touching and I would admit that I welled up a bit during the first mom-daughter chat when she was leaving the household to live with her new family.

3. When you are a director of a vast family business, you don't have many day-to-day responsibilities, and can enjoy the luxury of time to do daily ceramic classes to woo back your girl.

4. The "instant replay" mode of dramatic scenes is heavily utilised for added effect. I think I heard one phrase repeated 7 times, from seven different angles.

5. No one has the ability to say what they really want to say or feel. The true feelings are always found out in some excruciatingly roundabout way, possibly via some recording (video/voice/letter).

6. Even the "not hot underdog girl" is quite hot.

I had a great time watching this series. As they say with many things, the first time is the most memorable. I still have the theme song in my head playing on repeat.

Judging from these shows, I think my approach to women has to definitely change if I'm going to Asia!

Squatter

I've had a squatter at my place for the last 3 weeks. Kev's on his 4 week medical rotation, working at Beth Israel hospital.

There is a "pay it forward" feel about this arrangement, as I had similarly squatted at Bjee's place for 3 weeks!

Whilst my place is a bit squeezy for two people to cohabit for any stretch of time, it's been awesome having him here. Good to catch up, recall old memories, share in new ones.

Old friends are such that there is an immediate comfort when meeting up, anywhere in the world. We've all grown a little bit older and hopefully a little bit wiser but the old jokes are still funny.

Kev and I share the same relationship status :) It's fun to live vicariously off someone else for a change! Too many late nights, but if one is in NYC for a short period of time, one has to make the most of it. Random pics will appear on Facebook for sure.

I've enjoyed the time, Kev. Thanks for coming to visit me in NYC. Hopefully you got the experiences your were looking for here! Circle will miss you :)

Hong Kong #2

It was wonderful to see the extended family again, I can't believe how many folks made it over. I've been relegated to the "younger" kids table, not mature enough to hang with my older cousins (all of whom have kids). I did chaperon my younger cousins for New Years Eve, felt very responsible there :)

Had a fantastic seafood dinner, near Kwun Tong. There is a specific "seafood market" next to the restaurants where you get to choose the specific food that you want for that night. Yum.

Got to hang with Jay and Glorya, and see their business in action. I'm inspired! It's fun to talk to friends that have taken a different path, and the trials and tribulations that come with that path. I wish them all the best in the new year.

Of course there was some additional partying. Billion, Play, Vola, random other names of places I can't remember. For the first time my "don't talk, just dance" approach landed some success!
I have come to the conclusion that I need to be more of a baller. It's expensive to party in HK, possibly even worse than NYC. If only I was hot enough for other people to buy me drinks...

More photos uploaded of people and landscapes.

I miss the (relatively) warm weather already!

Hong Kong

A friend of mine once said that every time she goes back to Hong Kong it's like going home.

I never used to feel that way about this place, even though I share the same ancestry and migration patterns as her. However, having stayed here for nearly two weeks now, I understand a bit more of what she meant.

I am starting to understand the jumble of streets in Central, the smells of curry chicken rice everywhere I go, the crowds of Causeway Bay, the random big nights in Lan Kwai Fong. I have also come to appreciate the serenity of the Outer Islands, the (relative) quietness of mid-Levels and that just wandering around Hong Kong is a great way to take in the city.

Yes, I could live here.

The trip has been fun because of all the different activities:
Trish and Roy's Wedding - lovely and heartfelt, and the first time I have seen one of those "chairman's suites" in a 5-star hotel;
Mary-Ann's birthday bash, seeing all my relatives, catching up with old friends, making new ones.
I still have a week to go, to see my immediate family and Por Por's 91st (!!) birthday.

It's been good to be able to do some thinking as to where and what I want to do next year. There seems to be a few options on the table, need to see what is best.

Thanks Bjee for letting me have the run of your apartment. It's an awesome place. And no, I swears I haven't had any parties here!

Cambodia, Thailand, Wedding

In one word, fantastic. Let's break it down in more detail:

Cambodia
Angkor Wat and the temples around Siem Reap are definitely worth seeing. It's great that we are able to walk through the temples. Yes there are lots of tourists there, but not overwhelming and there is a serenity to the place that no amount of people can detract from. Angkor Ta Prohm (otherwise known as the "Lara Croft" temple) has melted back into the forest, with all the vines that grow through the stones. Banteay Srei Temple (otherwise known as the "Women's Temple") has some of the most intricate carvings in stone that I have seen.

Of course Angkor Wat is very impressive. I would recommend going to the National Museum before going to the temples, it provides a much needed background on why certain things were carved on the stones. I have a much better understanding of Hinduism and Buddhism now, although all those names of entities gets pretty confusing!

We also managed to get out and about in the touristy town part of Siem Reap. Women are aggressive there, probably because they are of the "working" type. Couldn't look at anyone in case they came up to say "what's up"!

Got to do a Cambodian cooking class, that was a ton of fun. My aim is to make some coconut sticky rice soon!

Pictures here.


Thailand (excl wedding)
I have been told that Thailand is much better outside of Bangkok. From a pollution perspective, they are probably right. However, some good things to see there: the Grand Palace is bling! It's as good as the palaces in Europe. It's impressive that Thailand still has a constitutional monarchy, that's probably why those palaces are so well maintained. Wat Pho (with a massive gold-plated reclining Buddha) is worth a visit too.

I rate the outdoor bar on the top of State Tower. Only in Asia, where safety concerns are much less of an issue than they are in western countries!

Of course there was the bucks, good bunch of guys that went out. Yes, I went to a "Thai show" and yes, I saw things that I don't think I ever want to see again. I wonder what makes people decide to train to shoot darts from there?? Apparently the show that the hens went to was even more fascinating to watch!
We even hit the town, Bed Supper Club was swanky. There's a rule in Bangkok that all clubs close at 2am, except for the dodgy police controlled ones!

Pictures here.

Tax & Dex's Wedding
After a massive Friday night out, on to the bus to go to Hua Hin, a beach resort town 2 hours south of Bangkok. The wedding was wonderful. There was a slight comical hiccup when the celebrant couldn't pronounce Dexter's name ("Doctor Liu"), but everything else was flawlessly executed. Outdoor dinners are always risky (due to weather etc), but it was starry, balmy night. With the beach, fireworks and great food, everyone was happy and celebrating, and that's the main thing.

Congrats Tax and Dex, see you in Feb hopefully!

Pictures here.

Friends
Finally, the best thing was catching up with everyone. From UK, HK, Aust and everywhere else, it was a grand gathering. Partying and reconnecting with old friends (until sunrise) is just plain fun. Even made some new friends! Those animated GIFs are coming. Here's a preview



Until the next wedding :)

Halloween

A brief synopsis on getting a costume for Halloween

1. Don't think too hard about the costume until the day before the party.
2. Decide to change the outfit on the day of the party from normal pimp to Eastern European pimp
3. Proceed to wander around Chinatown looking for "fake Adidas" gear. Get blank stares from Chinese shipowners when asking for "sweatpants".
4. Receive inspired advice from a friend to go to Century 21 to buy discount sportswear.
5. Buy sports gear (only had Nike), move on accessories.
6. See the ridiculous lines outside Ricky's and other Halloween costume stores where everyone else is in the same boat, getting last minute stuff.
7. Inspired thinking on my own part to go to St Marks Place to look for fake bling.
8. For the first time in 2 years living in NYC, actually go into one of those St Marks Place "variety" stores that sell random crap.
9. Acquire fake gold peace sign necklace. Even bargained the guy down!
10. Get wig and sunnies off mate.
11. Also get wife beater singlet off mate.
12. After dinner, miraculously grow sideburns from black cosmetic outliner.
13. Decide that if I ever take off the jacket, I'll just have a singlet on. Proceed to desperately bulk up with a few push ups and pull ups.
14. Put the outfit together, drink and have a great time.


It's funny, being out in NYC during Halloween, you almost feel out of place WITHOUT a costume on. Some people go all out (I heard reports of a 12 foot tall Optimus Prime) so it's fun just to be costume wandering around. Good times, and more photos here.

Chicago

I like Chicago. I like the structure, the cleanliness, the hot Caucasian women that live there.

Two things struck me when I visited my cousin who is doing his MBA at Booth School of Business.:
1. Rent is cheap. The amount of space one gets is fantastic value, at least from the perspective of someone who is living in a small studio.
2. B-schoolers seem to be having a great time, living it up as uni students once again.

On the second point, it made me think once again whether I should do an MBA. However, I know that going to grad school just to hit it isn't going to do my career any good. And it's not for free (unless you get sponsored), that's a $150,000 party, not to mention lost income for the two years. If there is no expected career change or boost, then it's not really worth it. What one MBA'er did say was that it really opens your eyes to the breadth of opportunities that are out there in the world.

Go to check out a college football game. It felt more like "Friday Night Light" than the NFL. Northwestern (the home team) are apparently not that good a team, and yes they did lose. However, they did make a game out of it. Here's a clip of a touchdown that Northwestern (in the dark blue) scored. Action starts around the 20sec mark.



Good also to catch up with a friend who had moved back to Chicago from NYC. I'm impressed by the freshness of the sushi and sashimi I had at a place called "Coast".

I didn't need to do the touristy stuff (having done it last year) so it was a lot of chillin out and talking shit. That is sometimes the best thing for a holiday.

Red Cross

I recently volunteered for the Red Cross. What surprised me was how strict they were in terms of making sure that the volunteers were proper, committed people. I'm subject to a background check as well as an interview. In essence, it's like applying for a new job! It's probably a good thing, it weeds out the people who thought "why not?" and sign up for it. And truth be told, a part of me is in that category. It's easy to volunteer for stuff, but it's harder to stay in it for a long period of time. Red Cross does emphasise the "we want you to be doing a job that you want" instead of the "throwing bodies at it" approach that many other agencies take.

So I did do some browsing and I'm thinking that the Disaster Response Reserves sounds interesting. I'd like to be able to use some of this project management skill (or lack thereof) to help out in disaster situations. And surely if I can work calmly in a disaster situation, everything else in my normal line of work will be a piece of cake!

I went to the orientation the other day, to get a history on the organisation and all that jazz. A few random facts:
- Red Cross symbol is the second most recognizable symbol globally, number one being Coca Cola
- Red Cross responds to about 8 "incidents/disasters" per day. Obviously a disaster is anything where bad stuff happens, right down to a family.
- Red Cross have about 4,000 volunteers in the Greater New York region, and they are aiming for 10,000. That's bigger than my company!

It will be interesting to see how this goes. My previous concepts of charity were more slanted towards teaching a person to fish, as opposed to giving the fish away. With disaster relief, it's really all about giving stuff away to make sure people get through the initial "survival" phase. Will see if it's fulfilling or not. Either way, any charity is better than none.

New York Summer

Summer finally hit this weekend with some glorious weather. It was great just to walk around, soak up the rays and enjoy New York. Things on the hit it list:

- Play some pickup basketball
- Go to Hamptons, need to get on the party list of a friend who has a timeshare of a condo there
- Go to upstate New York, apparently there is some apple picking thing to do.
- Kayak on the Hudson river
- Check out another Jones Beach concert
- Play some beach volleyball at Long Island city
- More public theatre shows. If I can score a Shakespeare in the Park ticket, I would definitely go
- Back on the exercise routine, surely there are enough days left in summer to get ripped and then still have time to show it off :)

Other activities that have occurred / already booked in:
- Watched Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. I am impressed at the energy of that guy (given he is late forties?), as well as the number of hit songs that he has written. One thing was that when he did sing those songs together, it was noticeable that they all have a very similar beat and style. Highlight was some of the classic Boyz to Men songs
- Seeing Bei and Reenie in consecutive weeks. Always fantastic to have friends come and visit, I once again marvel at how easily we can travel globally. See you guys in November and thanks Reenie for the present!
- Seeing some relos come from Kingston in Canada for the weekend.
- Late night funky Jazz at Blue Note. Makes me wish I could play a saxophone, or any musical instrument, for that matter.
- I cooked! Steamed fish and choi sum! And amazingly, no one got sick!

I've taken to saying "yes" to pretty much anything, and it's been good fun. One thing that I have refused to do is to start any form of long distance running. That, to me, is just no fun, plain and simple!

La-La Land

I think weekend trips are brutal, leaving Friday, taking the red-eye back on Monday and straight back to work.

That being said, Los Angeles was great fun. It had all the makings of a good trip:

1. Key events ie NBA finals game 2 (go Lakers in OT!)
   
2. Stoopid photo opportunities at every turn
   
3. Travelling companion willing to go out, hitting random Korean clubs. Perhaps 2 people attempting to share one bottle of vodka was a bit too ambitious.
   

I think LA is too much car travelling. The pavements are empty, everything feels far away, it's not something I'm used to. Of course, if I did live there I would get some awesome car to cruise around in! It has this ecclectic mix of architecture, from spanish to modern to old school chateaus. This actually makes the neigbourhoods such as Beverly Hills quite fun to drive around.

Definitely need locals or friends of locals that can tell you where to go out at night, but that "close at 2pm, no more alcohol" rule is ridiculous. Remember, unlike New York, start early!

Would I live there? Nah, not my thing. Good to visit though.

Asia Trip

I believe that going to Asia (Singapore and Hong Kong) is like going to an alternate universe where clubs are easy to get in, sleep is an option, and work is something people do on the side of living it up.

I didn't think that my body could handle four days where:
- 2 nights I had 4 hours sleep
- 1 night I had 1 hour sleep
- 1 night I had no sleep as I got home at 6am, packed and went to the airport to go to Hong Kong (thanks for having me at your place Anton!)

Not surprisingly, I slept 14 of the 15 hours on the plane, and then another 12 hours when I got back home. I read somewhere that you can make up for lost sleep if it is done within the week of when the lack of sleep occurred :)

It was great fun. Both more livable than I had previously thought (maybe I'm easily influenced) and offering more than just the standard party / shop / eat combo. I was surprised to hear of hiking trails around Hong Kong, and we went out on a boat cruise to Clearwater Bay, which was a very relaxing experience.

Of course, the best part was catching up with friends, both local and overseas visitors, as well as my family there. My grandma (my mom's mom) is as sprightly as ever. Best conversation of the trip:

Me: "So you have to tell mom that I've been good here in Hong Kong" (this was after my grandma sees me coming home at 10am)
Grandma: "You know that I can't lie!"
My Aunty: "Well, you could say that Kev was good during the times that you were awake."

Indeed!

Sunday Art

So I "performed" in a street art production on Sunday. Here was the instructional blurb:

Each participant will carry a sign bearing different slogans taken from my stream-of-consciousness writings. Participants will be posted a couple of blocks away and when instructed will carry their sign with conviction and determination towards the gallery to create a silent picket line that slowly swells from on lone picketer to hopefully a group of up to 20 picketers. They will silently move back and forth in this formation until the lead picketer walks away and they will disperse one by one away from the gallery until the space is left empty.

It was part of this Rececssional performance, where groups of people would tour around a few galleries and different "movement art" things would be happening. You can tell that I'm not an artist as I suck at describing these things.

It doesn't mention that I had to have masking tape over my mouth, but that's a minor detail.

Having never protested anything in my life, it's a strange feeling to be stared at when I'm holding up a sign. I can see how people would feel empowered by protesting, but it would be quite dismal if you were the only picketer. The lack of noise (with the masking tape and the silence of the crowd) made the performance stronger, I think.

Back to the to do list for NYC....Public performance: check.

Wii

When people would as me about consoles, I would say "Wii was a console for party games such as Wii tennis, Wii boxing etc. It's good for a few laughs but it's not a true gaming console, as the single player games aren't that good".

So whilst in Toronto with my relos, there was a Wii console that my cousin had. Yes we played some tennis and boxing, but when everyone left I had to entertain myself. Luckily for me my cousin had this massive collection of Wii games.

And one game I played was Super Mario Galaxy. I was amazed at the execution of the game, and how well they used the contollers with their motion sensors. The sheer originality of the moves, from spinning the Wii remote to spin Mario, balancing Mario of a boulder to do a course, made it such an enjoyable experience that I ended up playing half the game until 2am :)

Is it worth getting a console for one game? Probably not, but I do have a lot more respect for the Wii now.